Lift and dump apparatus

ABSTRACT

A LIFT AND DUMP MEANS FOR REAR END OPENING COLLECTORS WHEREIN FIXED IDENTICAL CAM PLATES ARE SECURED REARWARDLY AT EITHER SIDE OF THE COLLECTOR IN A VERTICAL PLANE, THE CAM PLATES BEING FORMED WITH AN UPSTANDING FINGER IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT A SHORT INWARDLY CUT THROAT. A TRANSVERSE ROTATING SHAFT JOURNALLED IN SAID CAM PLATES ROTATED BY ANY SUITABLE MEANS FROM THE SIDE ONLY, A PAIR OF DEPENDING ARMS RIGIDLY CONNECTED AT THEIR LOWER EXTREMITIES WITH A RIGID TRANSVERSE ROD WHICH ARE ALL MOUNTED AS A UNIT ON AND FOR ROTATION WITH SAID SHAFT. A PAIR OF HOOK MEMBERS ALSO MOUNTED ON AND FOR ROTATION WITH SAID SHAFT AT EITHER SIDE AND AN JUXTA POSITION WITH SAID CAMS, SAID HOOKS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE HORIZONTAL EXTENSIONS, ON A REFUSE CONTAINER, GUIDING THEM OVER THE CAM SURFACES AND LOCKING THEM IN SAID THROAT DURING DUMPING.

Nov. 14, 1972 F- K. DAVIEAU 3,702,662

LIFT AND DUMP APPARATUS Filed Sept. 30, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

FEZ/X A. DAV/40 A T TOR/VE Y FIIE- NOV. 14, 1972 DAWEAU 3,702,662

LIFT AND DUMP APPARATUS Filed Sept. 50, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'L/X K.DAV/[4U /Lw i fuJ United States Patent US. Cl. 214-302 4 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE A lift and dump means for rear end opening collectorswherein fixed identical cam plates are secured rearwardly at either sideof the collector in a vertical plane, the cam plates being formed withan upstanding finger immediately adjacent a short inwardly cut throat. Atransverse rotating shaft journalled in said cam plates rotated by anysuitable means from the side only; a pair of depending arms rigidlyconnected at their lower extremities with a rigid transverse rod whichare all mounted as a unit on and for rotation with said shaft. A pair ofhook members also mounted on and for rotation with said shaft at eitherside and in juxtaposition with said cams, said hooks adapted to engagehorizontal extensions on a refuse container, guiding them over the camsurfaces and locking them in the said throat during dumping.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There have been numerous attempts to solvethe increasingly important problems of refuse collection. The advent ofa relatively standard individual refuse container having a rectangularcross-section with horizontal extensions at either side at the frontthereof, has greatly aided the service of storage and collection.

The dumping or emptying of these containers into collection units wasfirst done manually. It required two men to lift and empty the containerand its contents into a back-loading collection truck. This work wastime consuming and exhausting. Then came semi-automatic means, leadingonward to automatic lifting and dumping means. Automatic means stillrequired two men to attach the container and the same two men to operatethe lifting and dumping mechanism-one at either side. The

work was much less fatiguing but became more dangerous from sideslippage and dropping. Time studies showed that the operation took morethan two minutes per container to attach, dump and detach.

Safety devices were added in the form of chains and locks. Thisincreased the weight of the equipment and pay load, with more powerrequired to lift and dump and the whole situation became ponderous andexpensive. The time to handle each container increased significant- 1y.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a simpleinexpensive means for handling the lifting and dumping of standardrefuse containers. The positive action locks the container to thevehicle or collector so there is no danger from side slippage ordropping. In this manner all of the safety requirements and more areembodied in the structure and operation.

The simplicity of the equipment has reduced the weight and ponderousnessof the structure so that very little additional weight is added to thecollection unit making more power for less weight to carry out thelifting and dumping operation.

Power for the lifting, dumping and handling of refuse containers is byhydraulic means, although any suitable source of power may be employed.The power is at one side of the collection unit only and can be3,702,662 Patented Nov. 14, 1972 'ice operated by only one man. In factthe whole operation can be carried out by one man, who merely guides therefuse container to the collection unit with the lateral membersabutting the cam surfaces, then initiates the power and the apparatusdoes all of the rest including the return of the empty container to theposition where it can be rolled away.

All of this is done by one man only, safely and in less than half aminute per container. Easy extrapolation will demonstrate the farreaching benefits.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity,economy and ease of assembly and disassembly, also such further objects,advantages and capabilities as will fully appear and as are inherentlypossessed by the device and invention described herein.

The invention further resides in the combination, construction andarrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and whilethere is shown therein a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to beunderstood that the same is illustrative of the invention and that theinvention is capable of modification and change and comprehends otherdetails of construction without departing from the spirit thereof or thescope of the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective fragmentaryrear portion of a dump truck or refuse truck, with a refuse container tobe emptied.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line II-II of FIG. 1and also showing in broken lines the juncture of the container with thedumping mechanism in operative position.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the engaged position ofthe container with the dumping mechanism, showing in broken lines theengagement of the hook-cam which initiates the dumping operation; and

FIG. 4 is a similar fragmentary side elevation showing the container inthe dumping position and locked by the hook-cam arm in this position.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings andwith particular reference to FIG. 1, there is shown in fragmentaryperspective the rear dumping mechanism of a standard refuse truck 10.Particularly the entire rear end of the truck opens up to provide areceiving chamber 11. This chamber is defined by the side walls of thetruck 12 and 14. There is a heavy gauge cross brace member 15 which ispart of the structural strength of the truck itself. At either side andalong the marginal edges of the rear portions of walls 12 and 14, areparallel and rearwardly extending cam plates 16 and 17. These cam platesare identical and are shaped to perform the functions required of thedumping operation. -Each of the cam plates 16 and 17 have upwardlyextending thumbs 18. The outer edge 20 of the thumbs 1-8 are curvedinwardly and downwardly and terminate smoothly in an open U-shape socket21. The opposite wall of the socket 21 extends upwardly and outwardly ashorter distance to a slightly curving and rearwardly sloping cam face22. Surface 22 is substantially flat during the main course of travel.Cam plates 16 and 17 then extend downwardly and inwardly as at 23 in acurve, which adds strength and rigidity to the paltes and their intendedfunctions. Cam plates 16 and 17 are, of course, rigid and do not move.Each plate 16 and 17 is drilled through at 24 to permit the passage ofthe shaft 25 therethrough and the shaft 25 is journalled for rotationtherein, the ends of said shaft projecting outwardly beyond both camplates 16 and 17. The shaft 25 has central support braces 27 withsuitable bearings 26, said supports 27 being welded to the transversetruck frame member 15.

At either side and outwardly of the walls 12 and 14, there is a spacedsupport arm 28 at the forward end of which a spacer 30 secures it in anysuitable manner, to the outside of the Wall 12 (or 14) and its framing.The rearward end of the arm 28 provides conventional journalling for theouter end of shaft 25. The spacer 30 is so constructed as to pivotallyreceive the forward end of a hydraulic cylinder 31 so that it may movein a vertical arc. The piston 32 of the hydraulic cylinder 31 isattached to linkage 33 at one end. The other end of linkage 33 issecured in any suitable manner to the shaft 25 for rotation thereof andtherewith, just inside the bearing of arm 28. Thus by movement of thepiston 32 of the hydraulic cylinder 31 the linkage is moved rearwardlyand rotates the shaft 25 in a counter-clockwise movement.

Secured in any suitable manner to the shaft 25 just inwardly of theinner faces of the plates 16 and 17 are a pair of U-shaped cam-hook arms34 which rotate with the shaft 25. These are sickle-like in shape andterminate with a hook portion 35.

Also attached to the shaft 25 for rotation therewith are a pair ofdownwardly extending arms 37 connected at the bottom or terminating endsto a rod 36 to form a rigid construction. The rotation of the shaft 25,by means of hydraulic cylinder 31, not only rotates the cam-hook arms 34but also the arms 37 with their rigid connecting cross bar 36.

The container 40 can be any standardized container. It is usually arectangular container preferably tapered toward the bottom. It ismounted on casters 49, or other suitable means, so that it does not haveto be lifted or moved other than by positioning the container 40 byrolling it to meet the truck for emptying and returning it to thereceiving placement. Of prime importance are the laterally extending rodmembers 41 at either side adjacent the front thereof. Obviously theserod members may be a single bar which is secured at this location in thefront of the container and can be welded or secured thereto in anysuitable manner. The members 41 do have to have lateral strengthsufficient to accommodate the purposes of this invention. At the outerends of 41 are secured knobs or buttons 42 which prevent any possiblelateral disengagement. The hydraulic controls for the operation ofcylinder 31 are accomplished through connections 43 and 44 and areconventional. It is also apparent that the controls can be operated fromeither side of the truck without any wasting of time in moving from oneside to the other.

OPERATION The operation of this dumping mechanism is quite simple andeffective. It is possibly best seen and described with reference toFIGS. 3 and 4 wherein the outer protective arm 28 has been removed toexpose the hydraulic cylinder 31, the piston 32 and the operativelinkage 33. The container 40 is rolled to and positioned up to the camplates 16 and 17 so that the rods 41 on the container engage thebeginning of the flattened portion of the cam surface 22 of theseplates. When this has been done the dumping operation is ready to begin.The hydraulic cylinder 31 is activated to push the piston rod 32outwardly and rearwardly. By outward movement of the piston 32 thelinkage is moved in an arc downwardly and outwardly, the straight linethrust position of the piston being maintained by the pivot 45 which isnot shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. As the shaft 25 is rotatedcounter-clockwise, the cam-hook arms 34 are also rotated with it in acounter-clockwise direction. The hook 35 at the end of these hook-armsengages the underside of the rods 41, as shown in dotted lines in FIG.3. Continued rotation of the cam-hook arms 34 results in engagement withrods 41 causing the lifting operation of the container 40 to commence.The rotation of the cam-hook arms 34 pushes the rods 41 upwardly alongthe cam surface 22 until the rods 41 drop into engagement with theU-shape receivers 21. The

drop is sufiicient to disengage the hook 35 from the rods 41. In themeantime the arms 37 with their cross bar and brace 36 are also movingwith the rotation of the shaft 25. After the hook 35 has engaged therods 41, the cross bar 36 is sequentially moved into engagement with thelower portion of the container 40 along its face 46. The movement of theparallel arms 37 with the cross bar 36 hearing on the face 46 of thecontainer, causes the container to rise in an arc with the pivot beingthe rods 41 retained within the socket position 21 of the side plates 16and 17.

As is best shown in FIG. 4, as the lateral rods 41 are dropped or movedinto place within the U-shaped receiver 21, the inner face 48 of thecam-hook 34 slides over the exposed surface of the rods 41 to lock themsecurely within the sockets 21, at either side. The heads or buttons 42prevent any later dislodgment of the rods 41 and keep them within theoperative surface so there is no danger of lateral slippage ordisengagement. The container 40 by means of the continued extension ofthe piston rod 22, raises the container 40 into the dumping positionshown in FIG. 4. Emptying of the container 40 can be accomplished bymoving the controls for the hydraulic system 31, back and forth in quicksuccession, thus shaking everything free.

The weight of the empty container 40 as shown in FIG. 4 is sufficient sothat when the hydraulic pressure is released in cylinder 31, its ownweight will cause exactly the reverse of the movement described above,to bring the container 40 back to the disengaged position shown in FIG.3. This then allows the empty container 40 to be withdrawn from theengaged position with the truck 10 and be returned to its usual place ofservice.

It is to be understood that this equipment can be added to any rearopening refuse truck without adding any substantial amount of weight orexpensive mechanism. The operation is so simple that its very simplicityrepresents the success which this invention has had over itspredecessors which are complicated and costly. Further this equipmentcan be used with any of the standardized containers which haveheretofore been used on more expensive and involved equipment. It willbe observed that this is a great labor saving device because theoperation requires no lifting or work of any kind. It completelyeliminates the fatigue and the slowing down of effective effort whereany of this work is done mechanically. In many devices in use at thepresent time, the refuse containers are literally chained to either sideof the dumping device for emptying. This takes at least two to threeminutes to dump a single refuse container. With the equipment describedherein there is nothing to get out of order, and the dumping isaccomplished in a matter of seconds. It completely eliminates men ateither side of the truck and can be operated by one man from either sideof the truck. The saving in man-hours, and prevention of accidentscaused by the fatigue of the men are most impressive.

I claim:

1. lift and dump apparatus for rear end opening collector units for usewith standard refuse containers having lateral extending members ateither side, a pair of identical cam plates rigidly attached at eitherside of the collector unit, said cam plates being mounted in parallelvertical planes and each having an upstanding finger immediatelyadjacent a short inwardly cut throat, a transverse rotating shaftjournalled for rotation in said cam plates, power means mounted on thecollector unit for controlled rotation of said shaft, a pair of spaceddepending arm members rigidly connected at their lower extremities witha rigid transverse rod which are all mounted as a unit on and forrotation with said shaft, and a pair of spaced hook members also mountedon and for rotation with said shaft, said hook members adapted to engagethe lateral extensions at either side of a refuse container lifting andguiding them over the said cam surfaces and locking them in the said camthroat during dumping.

6 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power means References Citedis at one side only and the bar engages and moves along the front faceof a refuse container to aid the lift and UNITED STATES PATENTS dumpingof the refuse containen 3,147,870 9/1964 Urban 6t al 214302 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein there is no attach- 5 3,458,071 7/1969Smlth 214'-302 ment of the refuse container to the lifting and dumpingmeans prior to initiation of the lifting and dumping cycle. GERALDFORLENZA Pnmary Exammer 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pivotingof L. J. ORESKY, Assistant Examiner the refuse container moves in acurve controlled by the race of the cams during the lifting, dumping andreturn 10 US Cl. X.R.

